Why do police officers, investigators, prosecutors, judges, and others with an interest in eliciting accurate memory-based testimony need to inform themselves of the research literature in experimental psychology that addresses the question of witness memory? The answer is straightforward, from the perspective of a simple cost/benefit analysis. If they can make these judgments with a high degree of accuracy, everyone benefits.
Key Features
- Eyewitness Identification: An important component of evidence, prosecution, and plea negotiation.
- Resource Efficiency: Correctly implemented witness identification allows effective judgments and efficient resource allocation.
- Avoiding Erroneous Prosecutions: Essential for making the best use of witness memory without expending resources on incorrect prosecutions.
- Research Gathering: This volume compiles evidence from various research domains on eyewitness testimony.
Additional Information
A major component of effectiveness requires avoiding expending scarce resources on erroneous prosecutions. It is in everyone's interest to make the best use of the memory of witnesses: to preserve it without changing it; to render it maximally accessible; to provide an environment in which witnesses feel free to report their recollections; and to accurately assess the probable validity of the witness's report, regardless of the witness's certainty or doubts about its accuracy.
Although many of the studies discussed deal with eyewitness identification, it is noteworthy that many of them also touch upon other areas of concern to eyewitness researchers, including chapters on voice recognition by humans and computers, with particularly detailed instructions on conducting voice "lineup," and differential aspects of recognition memory in children.
